The Many Admirers of the Ladies Haruno
by MissFoxx21
Summary: A prequel of sorts to Bedroom Hymns and how we got to the present. The story of Lady Haruno Sakuya, her granddaughter, and the lives they change. This is gonna be a bunch of short oneshots focusing on how the world was changed due to a certain someone's meddling. Specifically by focusing on the characters most affected by it.
1. Uchiha Itachi

Chapter 1: Uchiha Itachi

When Itachi was six, he was admitted into the Konoha ninja academy. He graduated at age seven. He was poised to be a shining star, the genius of the Uchiha clan who would finally gain them the respect, acceptance, and honor they'd been striving toward for generations.

One month after graduation, during a routine health exam, their doctor noticed that Itachi was having trouble breathing.

By six months, he was bedridden, hardly able to breathe on his own without help. The clan doctor was at a loss, so they had to call in an expert. Enter one Haruno Sakuya, Matriarch of the Haruno Clan. She had started Tsunade's journey on the road to being a medic despite being quickly surpassed and had traveled to all corners of the Shinobi lands, helping people of all walks of life. With Tsunade missing, Lady Haruno was the only person who could help.

Shortly after the Kyuubi attack, she returned to the village. Her remaining family that had been spared by the Third Shinobi war were destroyed by the demon fox. The only family member spared was little Sakura, her granddaughter, safe and sound in the Uchiha compound with her godmother.

Sakuya herself arrived not long after and immediately set to work. She examined the young man and spent hours healing him as best she was able. When she came out of his room, her face was grim. Her faded pink hair was tied into a tight bun at the back of her head and despite her age, her too-green eyes were sharp.

"The kid has a disease in his lungs. He'll only get worse the more he uses his chakra and especially if he keeps using the Sharingan like this." She shook her head. "Any way you look at it, this kid can never be a ninja."

Mikoto gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. Fugaku snarled at her, his dark eyes intense.

"How dare you. Fix him! He is our clan's only hope now! We need him to be strong so he can be the next Hokage!"

Cornelia glared back, unruffled. "You deaf or just stupid? There's no fixing this kind of issue. The kid will have to live with it. I'm sorry, but if you keep pushing him like this, he's going to end up choking on his own blood and dying before he hits 13."

Mikoto bit back a sob. "Will he die?"

"No. Not if he stops now." She said. "I can help him manage the condition but there's no cure. Not ever."

Fugaku looked away. "I have no use for an heir that cannot even rise past the rank of Genin."

Sakuya bit back a snarl. "Then give him to me." she said, her voice deceptively calm. "I'll look after him."

"Sakuya-sama, you still have little Sakura to watch as well, yes? I can't ask you to watch over my son as well as your own granddaughter."

Sakuya shrugged. "I'll figure it out. He's a damn smart kid. Easy enough to raise, I think."

Fugaku's expression remained distant and sullen.

"...I'll take good care of him. I swear. But...He can't be the man you need him to be if he dies as a child."

* * *

Itachi's eyes slid open. He stared at the ceiling of the hospital. He then glanced at the woman looking over his charts.

"Did it work...?" His voice croaked and there was a bit of a wheeze, but he was breathing so much better. So much clearer. He gripped the blankets. He hoped, he prayed, for...something. Anything. Some sort of sign.

Sakuya looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. It did."

He nodded and looked away. "Alright. When do I return to active duty?"

Sakuya hummed and placed the charts back at the foot of his bed. "As your current legal guardian, we don't have to tell your parents. If you don't want to." She said.

His head snapped towards her. "What do you mean?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.

She looked at him, her too-green eyes on him. "You know...you don't have to tell your folks about this unless you want to. As your official legal guardian, you need not tell your birth parents the truth. Not yet. I'm giving you an out, kid."

He watched her, not comprehending her. Free? Free from the life of a Shinobi? Being a Shinobi, one that would loyally serve his village and his clan was an honor he'd been groomed for since he was a boy. He wanted to protest but then he realized, like this...he'd never have to see another bloody battlefield. He'd never have to fight in a war or serve as an assassin. He could choose his own path.

"What...What would I do?" He looked at her. "What purpose would I serve?"

She tsk'd and shook her head. "That's all you Uchiha men can ever think about, isn't it? Being tools for others." She sat by his bedside and gently unwound his hand from the blankets. Her own hands were worn and callused and wrinkled, but strong. Dependable. "You can choose your own path now. You want to help people, yeah?"

She paused, then smiled at nothing. Her eyes went distant. He waited for it to pass before she focused on him again.

"Yes," he said, "I do want to help people. You help people, don't you?"

She nodded. "Alright. Suppose you want me to teach you?" His eyes brightened slightly and he sat up a bit straighter. "Fine. I can teach you some things. What do you know about medical Ninjutsu?"

* * *

"Senpai!" Itachi paused and looked up from his charts. Sakura waved over from the training room, a proud grin on her face. Her hands were bloody and he guessed they ached as well from the way they twitched in pain. Still, he smiled and walked over to see a tank full of healthy fish. She pointed at one near the bottom of the tank, just like all the others.

"I fixed him! Look, he's perfectly healed!" She smiled wider. He bent over and adjusted his glasses. "I mean, I'm sure you did better your first time and there's still a scar but he's healthy and he'll live and wow I'm so tired but it was so worth it and do you think Tsunade will-"

He cut off her babbling by gently patting her on the head. She stopped talking and stared up at him. She swallowed hard.

"I...I'm sorry, I wasn't able to...Senpai, if I had just..." She looked down.

He sighed and knelt in front of her. He set his charts aside to place both hands on her shoulders. "Sakura."

She looked at him, her eyes wet.

"Sasuke would have found a way to leave, no matter who was in his path. Even if it was me. And you never deserved how you were treated." Though after...That Person had killed the rest of their family, he could see why Sasuke wouldn't want to rely on his female teammate. "You have so much potential to help people, more so now than before. But one of the first things we learn as medics is that not everyone wants to be helped."

Sakura stared. She'd never heard her senpai speak this much, not even when he had visited their small apartment for dinner over the years. Usually she and her grandmother would talk while he listened, content to let the sound wash over him.

"Do not worry so much about Sasuke now. He made his choice. Let the adults in your life handle this. For now, focus on your studies." He smiled. "I'm sure you'll be able to surpass me in a few short years if you keep working this hard."

She gasped but smiled. "Surpass you? No way! You're Itachi-Senpai! Grandmother says that aside from Tsunade, you're the most gifted student she's ever had!"

He smirked a bit. "Then I'll have to keep improving as well so I do not lose so easily."

She chuckled. He reached forward and lightly poked her forehead.

He couldn't lie to himself. He was sick with worry for his little brother. But he trusted this village. He trusted they'd bring Sasuke back to him before he lost the only family he had left to that snake.

* * *

War was the hell he always feared it would be. Ninjas from all villages came in on stretchers, their bodies mangled. He and the other medics did as much as they could. Sakyua and Sakura both barked out orders. They worked in perfect sync, healing, repairing, saving. He was with them, healing the most critical injuries and leaving the lesser ones to the other medics.

He was midway through repairing a patient's intestines when he sensed it. His Sharingan blazed to life and he focused on the outside of the tent.

A battalion of White Zetsu approached. Sakura and Sakuya both sensed it as well. Sakuya looked to them.

"Go. Hold them off as long as you can."

The two nodded. Sakura wiped the blood off of her hands to pull on her gloves. Itachi took down the tanto hanging on the wall. He'd never gotten past Genin, no, but that never meant he hadn't worked his way up to Anbu-level training anyway. It had been another secret Sakuya had kept for him.

They stepped outside and ran forward to get some distance from the makeshift hospital before they encountered the enemy. As they ran, he noticed a familiar white shape in the sky and other chakra signatures all around them.

She looked up at the bird with a sense of awe, her eyes wide as it dove closer to land just in front of them. A tall blonde man was standing on it, along with a familiar red-head. He stared at them, then down at Sakura.

"Yo, Saku-chan, yeah! Look who I found!" The blonde grinned and waved a mouthed hand. He gestured to the red-head.

Sakura stared and her body tensed as the other man slipped down off of the bird to calmly walk closer.

"...I'm pretty sure I killed you." She blurted, though she made no move to attack.

"Mostly. I was mostly dead." He looked down at her. Itachi noted an odd fondness in the man's tone. "But I always have a backup plan. It's why I didn't need you to save me like the idiot there."

She narrowed her eyes and they all ignored Deidara's offended gasp.

"So are you here to finish the job?" He tilted his head at her.

"...No. I have no quarrel with you. Actually, I must thank you. Before meeting you, I assumed I had reached the peak of my abilities. My potential. Now I see I still have much to learn." He turned toward the wall of approaching enemy. "If you like, I can show you. Then, after this is over, I would like...the chance to show you something else."

She looked up at him but relaxed her shoulders. "Something else?"

"I want to show you what you asked about at my grave a few years ago. What Chiyo saw."

She stilled and her face heated in a blush. Sasori smiled.

"D-Deal. Thank you."

Two more figures landed behind them. Sakura turned with a gasp, then grinned.

"Haku-kun! Zabuza-san, hello! I am so glad to see you, you have no idea!" She walked over to them. Sasori stared after her, his expression blank. Itachi could have sworn he was pouting.

Sasori then turned to him. "Uchiha Itachi, right? You were her grandmother's student."

Itachi nodded. "Aa."

"Is her grandmother there? I have some things I'd like to ask her. After this is dealt with."

Itachi said nothing.

"Do not worry, I don't intend to harm her."

There was a quiet shriek and they both looked over to see Sakura, held aloft by Deidara away from the two Kiri-nin. Deidara was grumbling something about "This was __his Saku-chan, yeah__ " and the other two were just confused. Sasori and Itachi both let out a small, put upon sigh.

"It's strange. How one or two pink-haired women can worm their way into so many lives."

Itachi nodded, then turned back toward the enemy, not far off now.

He sensed other ninja still approaching. He wondered if they too were there because of Sakura or Sakuya. He mused that perhaps, like him, they granted others freedom. Choices.

Maybe once the war was over, he'd hear those stories too. And maybe tell his own.


	2. Those Nice Boys from Kirigakure Part 1

Chapter 2: "Those Nice Boys From Kirigakure" Pt. 1

Hoshigaki Kisame glared up at the ceiling. Everything hurt. Which is strange since, by all accounts, he should have been dead. Who knew escaping from Kiri with Samehada would be so difficult? Speaking of...

"If you're looking for your sword, it's up against the wall." A woman stepped into the room. He guessed she was in her fifties, but it was hard to tell. Her faded pink hair contrasted her sharp, almost glowing green eyes. She knelt next to him and placed down a tray with two cups of tea. She took a sip from both before handing him one.

"I know you..." He muttered, "Haruno, right? They say you'll heal anyone." He accepted the tea. If this really is Haruno Sakuya, he'd be fine. If it wasn't...well, they'd be less trouble to deal with. "Where am I?"

"The Land of Waves. It's a Shinobi-free nation at the moment, so you're safe here." She sips her tea. "But you should go back to Kiri. At some point."

His hand tightens around his cup. "You seriously sayin' that to me? Not that I don't appreciate you helping me out, Lady Haruno, but I got reasons."

"I know." She leveled a cool stare at him. "But they'll need you when it's time to rebuild and make things right. When you're healed and brave enough to go back..."

Kisame snarled and leaned closer. He snapped his teeth at her. She wrinkled her nose and reached up to flick him in the forehead. It hurt. Kisame grumbled and rubbed his head. "Ain't a matter of bravery..." he muttered. She swatted his knee under the blankets.

"It's rude to interrupt, Hoshigaki. Now pay attention. __When__ you're ready to go back, find and ally yourself with Terumi Mei. She is the key."

He was familiar with the name. "Terumi Mei is hardly any older than I am..." He mumbled.

"But she's important. That is the first thing you can do to thank me for dragging you back from the brink of death."

He huffed. "First, huh? And what's the second?"

She finished her tea and stood. "The second...Will make itself clear to you when you return to the Land of Waves. Two more pieces needed for restoring Kiri will appear here in several years time. Make sure they stay alive.:"

"What, you some kind of fortune teller or something? Can't say I'm a fan of this cryptic bullshit."

"Or something, sure..." she murmured. Then she was gone.

Kisame stared at his tea. A tea stem, perfectly vertical, bobbed up and down in a cheerful, lazy rhythm. He sighed. "Good fortune, huh?" He looked at Samehada, then back to the tea. He drained it with a long sip, stood, and walked over to his sword.

He had no loyalty for the Mizukage or for his fellow Shinobi...but...for his country? There was still something there.

"Come on, Samehada. Time to find Miss Terumi. Hopefully that old bat was right."

* * *

The masked Hunternin landed on the water, light as a leaf. They gathered Zabuza to them, then vanished. Just in time for two kunai to go shooting through where they had just been. Sakura tugged Tazuna down out of the way as one of the blades shaved off a bit of his hair.

"Come back here, you brat!" A figure stumbled out of the woods, bleeding with senbon sticking out of nearly every limb. A huge sword, wrapped in bandages, trailed behind him. Team Seven froze and waited.

The figure collapsed in the dirt with a groan. "Damn it..."

Sakura looked at the others, then slowly made her way to the person on the ground. He was huge, and both his skin and hair were blue. "Um...Excuse me?"

He glared up at her with silver eyes, through the expression on his face softened immediately. "Oi, Pinkie. You a Haruno?"

She stared down at him, then nodded. "Y-yes. Haruno Sakura. Um, My grandmother is H-Haruno Sakuya. And you're..."

"Hoshigaki Kisame." Kakashi stumbled over. "A hunter-nin of the Village of Mist."

"Great. Now we're all friends. Pinkie-chan, could you do me a solid? Pull some of those needles out of my arms. Damn brat of Zabuza's caught me by surprise."

Sakura sighed but started extracting the senbon, each movement careful so as not to do more damage. "Wait...That masked hunter was Zabuza's ally?"

Naruto let out a shout of alarm and started yelling to Sasuke and Kakashi. Kakashi himself looked dead on his feet and collapsed not long after Sakura started working.

Kisame, once his limbs were free of Senbon, stood and stretched. He hefted Kakashi up onto his shoulder.

"Well, kid, seems like I owe you one. Come on, let's get this guy somewhere safe. You brats did a real number on Zabuza, he'll probably be out of it for a week. Heh."

He grinned at Sasuke and Naruto who blanched. Naruto then grinned and folded his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, I was pretty kick-ass, wasn't I?"

Sakura's head fell. They had done all the fighting...and she'd just stood back. Useless. Helpless."

Kisame watched her.

* * *

A day later, Kisame watched the bridge builders work. His hunter mask was tied to the side of his head. He looked down at the girl at his side.

"So...your teacher is the Copy Ninja, huh? What's he teaching you anyway?"

She hummed in thought and rocked on her heels. She didn't seem to be afraid of him, which was strange. What was it with Haruno women and a lack of healthy fear?

"He taught us how to walk on trees today. I got it right away! But...then he said he wanted to focus on teaching Naruto and Sasuke. So I'm here."

He stared. "And that's it?"

"Yeah. Um! He said that once the boys mastered tree walking, he might show us water-walking." She fiddled with the end of her hair. He let out a long sigh.

"So while he's training the wonder twins to control their chakra...he sent a ten year old girl to guard the bridge builder."

"Okay." She folded her arms and glared up at him. He bit back a chuckle. She looked about as imposing as a kitten. "First of all, I'm twelve, thank you. Second, you're here, aren't you?"

He hummed and ruffled her hair. "Fair points, Pinkie-chan. Still...for fuck's sake, you're a damn kid. He should know better than to leave you with big, scary foreign ninja. What if...I don't know, what if I decided to eat you or something?"

She stared up at him. Her and her grandmother had a similar unimpressed stare, he realized.

"You're not that kind of person, Hoshigaki-san." She said finally, turning away. "You look scary...but you have eyes like Naruto. You seem like you enjoy a good fight...but more than that, you like having a purpose for fighting."

He froze. Then he sighed and chuckled. "Alright, fair enough. Still, wouldn't be good for me if I let Lady Haruno's granddaughter die on her first big mission. So tell you what. I'm gonna teach you some skills. You got the control for water jutsu down, all you need is practice."

She looked up at him in shock. "You'd do that...?"

"Damn straight! Now pay attention. First step is learning how to walk on water. Walking on trees is all well and good, but the real test is how well you can maintain your control on a shifting surface."

* * *

The battle raged, with Sasuke and Naruto vs Haku while Kakashi and Zabuza faced off. Kisame was nowhere to be found. That's when she felt it.

Hundreds of feet approaching. She looked back at Tazuna, murmured an apology, and darted forward. She zipped around Haku's wall of mirrors and barely avoided a senbon in the ankle. Kakashi shouted something to her as she dashed past him, but she didn't here him. She was too busy making sure she got every hand seal right.

With the final hand seal, she felt all the mist and water in the air swirl around her. She shoved her hands forward and her chakra shot out past the end of the bridge. The water took the shape of a huge, angry shark as it swam through the air towards a mob, barely hidden in the mist. The fights behind her froze to a standstill at the display.

Zabuza heard the screams and his head shot back toward Kakashi. "You taught your kid that?!"

"Like hell he did." Kisame landed next to Zabuza. He swung Samehada up to rest across his shoulder. "That's my girl! You show 'em, Pinkie-chan!"

Zabuza adjusted the grip on his sword but Kisame waved him off. "What are you doin' here, Hoshigaki? Still wanting my head?"

"Something like that. More like fulfilling a debt I owe. Someone told me once that...when I came back here, I'd find two pieces that were vital to restoring Kiri, makin' it better. I'm guessing she meant you and your student. Plus, I found out that Gato was planning on killing you both once Hatake's little team had you nice and vulnerable. No pay in sight, I'm afraid."

Zabuza snarled slightly and turned back, though he paused. The little genin girl fired off another Shark Bullet into the approaching mob, then crumpled to her knees with exhaustion. Kisame was at her side in an instant and picked her up. He watched as his fellow swordsman spoke to her, his face soft and bright with pride.

Haku dismissed his mirrors, seeing as the fight with Sasuke and Naruto looked finished. He flash-stepped to his master's side.

"Shishou...?"

Zabuza glanced down at him. Then he ruffled his hair. "Not bad work yourself, Haku. Come on, we gotta talk to Gato about our pay."

Haku stared up at him, then nodded, smiling brightly under his cracked mask.

* * *

Sakura insisted on patching both Zabuza and Haku up once the fighting was all over. Zabuza watched the girl with interest. Just what had Kisame seen in her? His answer came when he saw her hand light up with mint-green chakra. Medical chakra, the hardest kind to learn, let alone control. And this girl was still a child.

"You a medic, kid?"

"I'm learning. My grandmother taught Tsunade. She taught me a few things as well, but most of them are still out of my reach right now."

He watched with barely-veiled interest as she soothed the burns from his and Kakashi's second bout. "Not bad. No wonder that damn Kaijin thought you were worth his time."

Her face colored and she grinned up at him. "I'm a quick study."

He huffed, then motioned for Haku to come over when he was done. "Strip for the girl so she can fix you up."

Haku blushed horribly. He bit back a grin to keep his face stern. So the kid wasn't as oblivious as he thought.

"No, really, Miss Sakura, I'm fine, I hardly need..."

"Nonsense! Come on, at least let me take a look."

He looked up at Zabuza pleadingly. This time, Zabuza didn't bother hiding his smirk. "You heard the lady."

He sighed but undressed enough that his chest was bare. Sakura was surprisingly professional. Only a mild blush dusted her cheeks. Haku, on the other hand, was bright red. He glared at his teacher, and had to bite back a yelp as her hands gently ghosted over his skin.

"Um...I think Naruto would be sad once we leave to not hear from you again so..." she looked up from her work. "If you want, I'm a pretty good pen pal. I'd be happy to help you keep in touch."

Haku looked down at her, then smiled. "That...would be nice, thank you. I would love to stay in contact with Naruto-kun. And yourself."

She colored more at the blush and had to look away. "Great! Good. Um. You're all set so..."

She skittered out of the room, though she came back in with her address written on a spare sheet of paper. Haku accepted it and stared after her as she left.

Zabuza watched his student. Then smirked.

"You know, your kids might end up having pink hair."

"Shishou!"

* * *

They stopped and Zabuza gave Sakura a lazy wave. He noticed her talking to some red-head while a tall blonde fumed in the background. A black haired man who resembled her former teammate also stood with them.

"Haku-kun! Zabuza-san, hello! I am so glad to see you, you have no idea!" She trotted over to them and smiled brightly. He watched the blonde trail after her while the red haired man talked softly to the elder Uchiha.

"Hello, Sakura-chan. I'm glad to see you looking well." Haku was a head taller than her now but still as pretty as ever. He smiled at her with no small amount of fondness. "Kisame mentioned he sensed a large amount of enemies en route to the hospital. We offered to help you intercept them."

She grinned and Zabuza stifled a chuckle. "Thanks. We'll need the help." She then pulled Haku into a sudden hug. "I was so worried when I stopped hearing from you. Don't you go dying on me now, okay? Either of you."

Haku froze but hugged her back. He carded a hand through her short hair. "I promise, I won't die now, Sakura."

The moment lasted only a second longer before the blonde tugged Sakura out of Haku's grasp and held her close to him. He glared at Haku jealously. Sakura shrieked in surprise.

"That's my Saku-chan, yeah! Keep your hands off, girly boy!"

"Deidara! Put me down! Haku's a friend!"

"No way, Saku-chan!" He smiled up at her. "It's been too long since I saw your pretty face. I want to keep you to myself a bit longer, yeah."

She sighed and shook her head but Zabuza noticed her smile. He also noted the way Haku's hands clenched.

Another pair of ninja landed near them. The current Otokage stood tall, his second behind him. Sakura waved from Deidara's arms.

"Otokage-sama! Tayuya, hi!"

Kimimaro smiled. "Sakura-san. Gaara-kun sends his regards and his regrets. He is busy elsewhere but asked us to assist you." A small force of Oto-nin landed after him. "I was a bit worried when you screamed and feared we were too late."

"No, no, Deidara just spooked me." She glared at the blonde until he sighed and set her down. "I'm so glad you're here to help. But are you sure you're feeling okay?" She walked closer to Kimimaro to fuss over him while he watched her with a fond expression that matched Haku's.

Zabuza sighed and patted his student's shoulder. "Have faith, kid. You still have a shot. I can tell."

Haku nodded and smiled up at him. "Thanks, Shishou. I'm not giving up yet." Deidara looked at them and narrowed his eyes. Haku simply smiled. He was just happy she was okay. Even if he had to compete against everyone in the world...he was not going to give her up without a fight.


	3. Deidara

Chapter 3: Deidara

The first gentle thing Deidara ever remembered was a cool hand bathed in mint green that soothed his pain. He remembered a gruff but kind voice that watched over him protectively. He remembered a hand brushing his hair out of his face to cup his cheek and he couldn't help but cling to it. This cool hand, this loving touch. He ached for it. He needed something cooling to settle the flames of anger and fear in his heart.

The hand and the woman it was attached to stayed with him all throughout his illness. But once he began feeling better, she was packing up to go.

He remembered pale, pink hair and eyes that were just far too green.

When he came back to a few hours after that first caress, he blearily looked around the small room where they'd tucked him. Deidara stared up at Haruno Sakuya, unsure if she was real. She smiled down at him, gentle and kind. But apologetic and angry.

"Do you honestly think we'd let you pull the same trick with our greatest weapon?" He flinched at the anger in the Tsuchikage's voice. Sakuya didn't look at the man, but her eyes darkened all the same.

"I know not of what you speak, honorable lord Tsuchikage. I merely stated that if the boy was prone to illness, perhaps you could reconsider-"

"Out of the question. Now, if he's healed, we will escort you out of our village, Haruno-sensei. Be grateful it is not in chains for this insult."

She gathered up the last of her things and stroked his hair one more time. She flashed him a weak smile. "I am sorry."

Deidara knew she wasn't apologizing to the Tsuchikage. Still, she stood and left. He sat up a bit as she went, his fever cured and his body no longer in pain.

"Feh, good riddance to Leaf scum. Once the brat is ready, we will resume training."

Deidara's brows knit. Leaf? She was from Leaf and yet...yet she'd helped him? He wondered if he'd ever see her again...if he'd get to thank her.

* * *

As it turns out, he did. Deidara awoke to an odd sense of Deja-vu. Pink hair, eyes that were too-green, and a cool hand bathed in mint green. But this face was so much younger. He vaguely suspected he should have been dead, but he was in pain and alive and oh she was talking.

"Just...stay with me, okay? I'm going to get in so much trouble but you can't die yet, alright? Please, please don't die on me. Naruto won't forgive me for this... _ _Gaara__ will never forgive me for this! But...hell, I can't just leave you like this. Grandmother told me you were so young and you were so unhappy and I can't fully blame you but..."

"If not for the pain," he rasped, "I'd ask if I were in heaven. What with such an angel in front of me, yeah." She startled but smiled at him and he felt his heart stop. She looked almost as pleased as she was frightened. He tried to flash her a charming smile but a sudden cough ruined it. She went back to healing him,

"Okay so, I'm going to finish stabilizing you, then I'm going to have to take you back with me. I mean, I need to finish healing you and I can do that so much better there, but also because we might need to interrogate you."

She looked up at him and couldn't hide her concern. "Please...Cooperate. For your own sake. I'll do what I can but..."

He narrowed his eyes. He knew this girl. She was the one that had killed Sasori. He was still pissed about that.

"...Why are you helping me?" She looked back down.

"Before he died...He asked me to look out for you. I thought it was a warning, but...Grandmother Sakuya told me about what happened in Iwa. She kept tabs on you as best as she could." He stared at her.

"Sakuya?"

"Yes. She said she looked after you when you were badly sick once."

He remembered. The old woman with the kind eyes. She had tried to fight for him. To get him out so he could live life like he wanted. All fight went out of him.

"Sasori-danna did, yeah?"

She nodded.

He hummed, then sat back.

"Well then, guess I can forgive you for killing him in the first place." He looked away from her down to his damaged and bleeding body. His eyes widened. On his hip was a small tattoo of a scorpion. It still resonated with his energy. He was still alive somewhere. Once he escaped from Konoha, he'd find him.

After all, escaping wouldn't be that difficult.

* * *

Escaping became very difficult. Not because of the guards or the restraints. No, he'd figured out thirty ways of getting out of Konoha in less than hour within the first month of his captivity. Despite what others might think about him due to his short temper or his love of explosives, he was a long-term thinker. A planner. Meeting Sasori had only made him better at it.

No, the issue wasn't with any of that. It was with Sakura. She was an obnoxious, addictive constant. She was in his thoughts, in his space, her pink hair and smooth skin and soft lips just barely out of reach. She was infuriatingly patient, wickedly funny, and he found himself falling for her. He ached for her. He wanted to hold her, to tease her until she was flushed with anger, to kiss her until the only thing she could say was his name...

She looked so sad, especially as more and more news came back about the Uchiha. A piece of her heart was still in that bastard's possession. Deidara scowled at the fake smile she planted on her face. They'd become more and more bitter since the boy had apparently joined Akatsuki after killing the elder Uchiha in their ranks.

Still, his behavior had hurt __his__ Saku-chan and that was unforgivable. Still, something drastic would have to be done to snap her out of this haze.

As she approached him to look him over, a plan came to mind. He grinned and snatched her hand in his before she could examine him. "Hey, Saku-chan, why do you look so glum?" She sighed in irritation but didn't pull away immediately, which he took to be approval, He carefully inspected her hand in both of his. She tolerated his odd behavior, he surmised, because she was curious about what he was plotting.

"I'm fine. Just tired." She wasn't a bad liar, not really, but when one learned her tells, they became obvious. "What are you doing?"

He grinned up at her. One of the tongues from the mouths on his hands licked up her wrist. She gasped and tried to pull her hand away but he held it firm. She bit back a whimper as his tongue continued to lavish her sensitive wrist and palm with gentle licks and kisses.

"Deidara..."

His eyes met hers. He smirked slightly. "You've been too stressed, Saku-chan. Let me take care of you...please?" He released her so she could decide. She took a step back and her face burned.

"I...I've never..." She turned even more red and he stared.

"Really? Never been with anyone?" There was no judgment in his tone, just confusion. "But...you're gorgeous, yeah. Is your dedication to that brat so strong?"

She glared at him slightly but there was no heat in it. He smiled, soft and adoring. He offered her his hand. She eyed it warily.

"Okay...well...Sakura, I want to look after you. Repay you for everything you've done. Can't you let me be a little good to you, yeah? We don't have to go any further than you're ready for."

She looked him in the eye. He tried to convey all the sincerity he felt. To his utter surprise and elation, she agreed. There was a determined, desperate look on her face. Like she'd made some sort of important decision.

"Just...we have to make this quick. The guards will come in soon." She placed her hand in his. He grinned and yanked her forward so she was on the bed, straddling him. He tugged her jacket off of her and tossed it aside.

"Then I guess we can't waste time, yeah." He pulled her shirt and bra up over her chest to reveal small, perky breasts. He did the same with her skirt and yanked her panties aside. "Try not to scream."

She was a bit too stunned to say anything until she felt it. One of the mouths had wrapped around her nipple. She tangled one hand in his hair while the other gripped the headboard on the back of the hospital bed where he sat. He chuckled and pressed a light kiss to her shoulder before he leaned down more. He licked and suckled at her other breast while his other hand slipped down between her legs.

His fingers trailed along her entrance and the tongue on his palm slipped out to flick her clit gently. she let go of his hair to cover her mouth. Despite her attempts to muffle herself, he could still hear all the delicious little whimpers she made. He slipped one finger into her and pumped it in and out, slow and easy.

"Just relax, Sakura..." He kissed and gently nibbled her breasts. "This is all about you...all for you, yeah."

She whined quietly. "Deidara...we... should stop." She was so sensitive and he watched her struggle to pull herself away from him. He stopped what he was doing to look up at her.

"Do you really want to? Or is it that you __think__ you should want to stop?" He asked. She looked away from him, then sighed.

"I...I think it's the latter. But...Sasuke-kun-"

"Isn't here, Sakura. He chose not to be here. He chose not to come back." He said as he pulled his hand away from her breast to cup her face. "He chose to leave you behind."

She stared at him and her eyes filled with tears. He pulled her into a hug and closed the mouth on one hand to cup the back of her head.

"If...If I'd had you...If I had a sweet girl like you waiting for me, I would be racing to come back. Hell, I'd never leave if I could help it." He said, his voice soft but earnest.

She stifled a sob. "Deidara? I don't want to think right now." He pulled away to look at her. "Please..."

He frowned. "Are you sure? I'd rather not have this be something you regret, yeah."

She shook her head. "I've wanted this for the last few weeks but I never...let myself consider it. Because of our pasts and because of Sasuke." She reached into the pocket of her skirt to pull out a condom. "But...I grabbed this from the stock room the other day...just in case this ever happened."

His eyes went wide. He stared up at her face, bright red with embarrassment and her eyes wet with tears.

"Then I'm yours, Saku-chan. Always. How about you put that on me and we'll get started properly, yeah."

She nodded and swallowed hard. She helped him shed the light kimono they made him wear while he was in hospital custody. Sakura gently stroked his cock and smiled as she rolled the condom onto him. He resisted the urge to shudder.

He wrapped his arms around her middle to pull her flush against his chest. She smiled wider and brushed the hair out of his face. "You have gorgeous eyes..." she mumbled.

He kissed her, slow and gentle, though she surged against his lips, all passion and desperation. He lowered her down by her hips onto him and he hissed as he pushed into her. She gasped quietly and tangled a hand back into his mussed hair. He rocked his hips up into hers, nice and easy, though it wasn't as hard as he feared it would be. She dragged her free hand up his back, leaving deep scratches in his skin with her nails. He huffed and pulled her down harder in retaliation. She screamed against his lips.

Before long, she had sat back to get more control. She rode him with surprising ease for someone with so little experience, not that he would complain. He let her set the pace and fucked her back as best as he could, his hands were tight enough on her waist to leave bruises. Soon, he saw her hips stutter. She leaned forward onto him and he planted his feet on the bed to put his all into fucking her fully.

She muffled her scream in his shoulder as she came around him in a beautiful, glorious explosion. He growled her name into her ear and came as well, filling the rubber with it. They stayed close and connected as they caught their breath. She stared at him. He smiled down at her, languid and smug.

She laughed and punched his arm, then slowly pulled away. He took the condom off and tossed it into the nearby trash. They hurriedly tried to fix their clothes and hair, so that when her Anbu escort finally came into the room, she looked perfectly presentable.

Deidara looked exhausted but content. As she left for the day, they shared a secret, giddy smile.

He settled back into the bed. Maybe Konoha wasn't so bad.

* * *

Deidara held Sakura close as they rode above the enemy forces. The White Zetsu tried to reach for them in vain. They were still too high up for the Zetsu to reach.

"You know," remarked Sasori, "Even if this plan works, you will be alone and vulnerable until the rest of us land. And chances are you will be injured. It will cost time for you to heal."

She smirked at him from her place under Deidara's arm. "I managed to beat you despite the fact that you impaled me through the kidney. I think I can handle this."

He seemed to pout at her. Itachi rolled his eyes and adjusted his grip on his sword. "Well be coming right after you. Be careful."

She nodded and pulled away from Deidara. He frowned and pulled her back to steal one more kiss. "Don't die on me, yeah. You haven't agreed to marry me yet."

Itachi tensed. Sasori huffed. "Us. Us, idiot. Don't make __me__ kill __you__."

She smiled and patted his cheek. "When this is all over, I'll give it some serious thought." He supposed he'd allow that to be enough of an answer for now. He readied a few larger bombs and filled them with chakra. She fixed her gloves and evened her breathing. Now or never.

She nodded. Deidara dropped the bombs which, upon reaching the topmost Zetsu, burst into flames and explosions. Sakura jumped off the bird the instant the bombs detonated. She flew down past the flames and with a fierce battle cry, she slammed fist-first into the ground.

"Shannaro!"

The ground seemed to pull inward toward her for only a moment before erupting outward, knocking more than half the Zetsu off of their feet. She winced as she knew she had broken every bone in her arm up to and past her shoulder, even if the ground had taken most of the force from the impact.

She focused on healing as fast as she could before the Zetsu could recover and retaliate. It turns out, they didn't have a chance.

A huge, skeletal figure surrounded her as Itachi looped an arm around her middle to keep her sheltered.

"Heal. Let them handle this. Kisame and Kimimaro's forces are nearly here."

Sasori and his hundred-puppet army were around them in an instant. He seemed almost bored as his puppets, led by reproductions of Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, cut the enemy force to ribbons. Deidara picked off as many as he could with his bombs. He made sure no stragglers could escape.

In the distance, Sakura could see a volley of razor-sharp bone shards rain down on the front of the Zetsu army. She swore she saw a Shark Bullet rip through a piece of the crowd. She grinned and focused on fixing her arm until the bones had all stitched themselves back together. She flexed her hand and nodded to Itachi who let her out of Susanoo's protection.

She had a battle to fight...and a war to win.


End file.
